1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a parallel plane holding mechanism which can arbitrarily hold a parallel state and an apparatus using such a mechanism.
2. Related Background Art
In the fields of an STM (Scanning Tunneling Microscope) as a technical field of the invention and a memory device using the principle of the STM, method of accessing a probe to an object to be measured or a recording medium denotes a very important technique. Particularly, a distance between the probe and the object to be measured or the recording medium needs to be controlled on the order of several angstroms to several tens angstroms and a precision of several angstroms to several tens angstroms is also necessary with respect to the in-plane direction. Since the distance between the probe and the measuring object or the recording medium is changed in dependence on the surface state of the measuring object or recording medium, it is necessary to perform a control such that the probe is allowed to approach in the direction perpendicular to the distance or the micro surface or the like. For this purpose, a manipulator which can perform a fine FF operation to a stage on which the recording medium has been put is used and, in order to incline the probe, a cylindrical type piezoelectric actuator (piezoelectric tube) is connected to the probe and controlled.
FIG. 1 shows a parallel plane holding mechanism using the piezoelectric tube which has conventionally been used. A radius of tube 1 is set to 16.5 mm, a thickness is set to 1.5 mm, and a length is set to 20 mm. By keeping voltages applied to two of four electrodes arranged around the tube 1 to 10 V, a plate-shaped member 2 connected to the piezoelectric tube 1 can be inclined by about 1.4.times.10.sup.-6 rad.
In the above conventional example, however, with respect to the application of the memory device in particular, there are drawbacks such that it is difficult to integratedly construct the probe and the recording medium or recording head and the miniaturization is difficult. There is also a case where it is necessary to remove an IC for a driving circuit upon integration, so that manufacturing steps become complicated, and the like. On the other hand, with respect to the STM as well, there are problems such that the probe head portion is large and it is difficult to integrate the IC for the driving circuit.